WASHINGTON, D.C.—Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack extended a Feb. 27 deadline until March 31 for farmers to update their yield histories and base acres for new farm bill programs.
March 31 is also the deadline for growers to select the new farm bill crop insurance program that best fits their circumstances. The options include Price Loss Coverage and Agricultural Risk Coverage.
Base acreage, rather than actual planted acreage, is used to determine payments under the new programs. Base acre reallocations will be based on what farmers planted between 2009 and 2012. If farmers fail to select a program by the deadline, or to adjust their yield histories and base acres, they’ll automatically be enrolled in PLC, using current yields and base acres.
Growers who contact the Farm Service Agency by the March 31 deadline but can’t be processed due to staffing constraints may have their names added to a registry and still qualify to enroll after the deadline.
Source: www.capitalpress.com